How does a Libertarian society grow?
A book by Michael Cloud called THE SECRETS OF LIBERTARIAN PERSUASION probably is very good reading:

http://www.theadvocates.org/secrets.html

http://www.theadvocates.org/secrets-review.html

I'm sure we could learn a lot by reading that book!

My idea or question today is this:

How can we grow libertarian reality in South Dakota today? Or libertarian projects, libertarian ideas.

Basically, the government of South Dakota (both State and County and City levels) is similar to a very expensive, well-guarded jet.

The two main parties spend MILLIONS of dollars trying to get into the cockpit and pilot the plane.

The book referred to above suggests that we can persuade people to vote Libertarian.

Of course, this is possible. But is libertarianism strictly about persuading people and winning elections? IS IT BIGGER THAN THAT?

And I will add:

IS IT MORE FUN THAN THAT?

Does the Republican Party today have any resemblance to the Republican Party of the early 1860's, when Abraham Lincoln was President?

Does the Democratic Party today have any resemblance to the Democratic-Republican Party of 1805, when Jefferson was President, and all internal taxes in the US had been abolished?

The answer: No to both questions.

So when a person goes into a voting booth and votes for one of the 2 big parties, they are not voting for
Lincoln or Jefferson. They are voting according to their images or impressions of the candidate that is running.

As Libertarians, we might say to people that we want to have a government more like Jefferson's or Washington's--a lot less taxes, no entangling foreign alliances. And a few people will be persuaded by the solidness of our ideas.

But isn't the election system a very expensive, high-stakes game that is played, and the winner often takes all, and then raises taxes, and passes more laws, and jails more people?

Is there an easier way?

(That's a BIG question!)

Are there some really intelligent, so simple its hidden in plain sight ways that can really BOOST and INCREASE Libertarian results in South Dakota (and across the USA)?

I think there might be!

While Michael Cloud's book stringly recommends that Libertarians should use stories to persuade people (just like Jesus and Buddah did), I would like to look at another paradigm.

Persuasion versus being an example.

Some people might vote or buy a product or donate money because they were persuaded by someone (or else they were too polite to say no).

Others might say--hey, I want to be like him or her.

Some people thus might actually be BETTER persuaded by example, rather than by talking and listening.

Aren't there some inspiring examples you can think of?

There was a blind man who actually hiked ALL THE WAY UP Mount Everest! (He always had someone right in front of him, plus he was an experienced climber before he lost his sight).

Also, a woman who actually swam in Antarctica! These waters were 33 degrees! She swam almost a mile in those terribly cold waters!

Thomas Edison, Frederick Douglass, George Washington Carver, Jennifer Lopez, the list goes on and on!

What examples could we create here in South Dakota?

Here are some big ideas:

What about a Libertarian Project that creates 8,000 jobs? (More than would be lost if Ellsworth Air Force Base closes)

What about a joint project that involves ND-SD-Manitoba-Saskatchewan and might discover some scientific breakthroughs and create many jobs?

How about creating 67 Libertarian nonprofit Think
Tanks, one in each county, and create jobs and whole new industries that way?

Are we going to pretent any longer than there are no people like Bill Gates, Thomas Edison or Anita Roddick (Body Shop) in South Dakota? Or that innovation happens everywhere else, but not in South Dakota?

We can be inspired by persuasion, by example or by being so excited by a growing project(s) that will benefit many people and are run by libertarian ideas and principles.

We know that many political decisions in the past have led to too many laws, too many people in prison, too few great jobs created.

We can either look for scapegoats (the economy, this party, that party, the Federal Government, State Government, this group, this elected official...)
or look for growing solutions, answers!

I am suggesting that South Dakota home grown solutions can get us out of the "BLAME" mind set and into the "GRATEFUL, BLESSING" mindset.

Which mindset do you choose?

Alex Martin